Money making 'psychic forums'

artbaron

no1catman wrote: »

I met a man recently, who did 'ghost rescues' (for which he doesn't charge), told me a woman in Newport who work as a nurse in a 'terminal' ward - it seems some who 'passed over' went home with her - rather then follow the 'light'. He found she had twenty-three at her home!

What evidence do you have that he wasn't lying or deluded? Hey, I have a friend who met Elvis on Venus when he time travelled to the year 2349734. Do you believe that too?

no1catman wrote: »

Years ago, it was the case that we would only know, when we died ourselves. However in more recent years, with modern medicine, people do come back from being 'dead' either from no heart, or with no brain activity. Many recall what it was like in the NDE, yet 'scientist' seem obsessed with proving that an afterlife (beyond physical/biological death) could not exist - what is they agenda!?

See, that's nonsense. Name one scientist who is "obsessed with proving that an afterlife could not exist". That's not how science works and it simply does not happen. Scientists present options, based on evidence, to explain observations and phenomena. Just because you'd like these options to include spirit worlds and ghosts doesn't mean that scientists have some sort of agenda against the truth. That's not just wrong, it's paranoid.

TurkishDelight

chomsky wrote: »

Whilst people have said that psychics can provide comfort for people who are feeling low, I do think that most of them take advantage of people when they are feeling vulnerable, otherwise why would they charge? Why would they not share their 'special gift' for free? I really do hate to think of people parting with lots of money because they are grieving and understandably are searching for comfort or hoping to communicate with a loved one.

I think everyone who pays for psychic readings should watch Derren Brown explaining how cold reading works so they can at least see for themselves how it's done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idVxRE8uM-A

Well, everyone has to pay the bills.

Other people with gifts get paid, musicians, writers etc.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not gifted in that way (and have never wanted to be, the odd time I've had contact with the other side it has been not at all pleasant) and understand that most professional mediums will be faking it, but they're just doing their job.

As I said, other professions profit from misery- ambulance chasers come to mind.
Other professions persuade people to part with money for a carrot that's not worth having (scratchcards that have 10,000 watches and one holiday ).

meritaten

I KNOW there are genuine psychics, but there ARE far more fraudulent ones out there unfortunately as it is so difficult to prove them fraudulent!
yes - watch Derren Browns explanation of 'Cold Reading' its excellent and will give you an insight on how much information you can give a medium without realising it. the best mediums actively discourage you giving info and will ask you to answer with just 'Yes, No, or I dont know.
Its like any other service - ask around, and do your research and ask the relevant governing body (for mediums the best one is the Spiritualist church - their members are not out to rip you off - but they do have to make a living and you wouldnt expect them to give their time and sometimes travelling expenses for free would you?

artbaron

meritaten wrote: »

I KNOW there are genuine psychics, but there ARE far more fraudulent ones out there unfortunately as it is so difficult to prove them fraudulent!

I'm not having a go, but you don't know anything of the sort. The onus is on the psychics to prove that they are genuine and so far not one person in human history has done this. A prize of $1m has been available for the past 16 years via the JREF, headed by James Randi, for anybody who can prove any paranormal ability whatsoever. Nobody has come close and 99.99999% don't even try. Now, if anybody offered to make me a millionaire by spending a couple of hours doing what I routinely do in my job, you know what, I'd take them up on it.

It appears though that psychics are different. Whilst they go to any lengths to extract money from grieving, gullible people they decline to become instant millionaires by demonstrating their powers. Odd, that.

I'm still waiting for all those amazing psychics who pass these messages from the all-knowing dead to actually tell us something useful. You'd have thought at least one would take a break from locating Auntie Grace's lost cigarette holder or whatever and help out a few deserving people, like the McCanns for instance.

And here's a link to Robert Lancaster's great site, exposing one of the very worst

http://stopsylvia.com/home/

meritaten

actually artbaron its YOU who dont know anything of the sort!
mediumship isnt confined to the 'doris stokes' variety of sitting on stage and passing messages!
I KNOW a very talented young lady who is more reliable than any early pregnancy test, she has told at least 14 or 15 women they are pregnant - most of whom didnt even know it. she can do it with animals too, she has never been wrong, either about the pregnancy or the sex of the baby - oh and she isnt out to make money, she is only five years old!!
she also 'sees' dead people - but doesnt pass on messages - she just tells you to ask them yourself as she assumes you see them too!
so please dont tell me I dont know anything - I have the living proof in front of me almost every day.
she isnt the only one either - her twin has the same gift. so does their aunt in a more limited way.

Mankysteve

Well get her to sign up for the

http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html

At the end of the day people can believe what they want I prefer to follow the scientific method that concluded many times that physics/mediums are pile a rubbish.

If poeple to choose to believe unproven things thats there choice.

moonrakerz

Replace the word "psychic" with "religion" in every post in this thread - discuss !

PS: Don't think there have been many wars between different groups of psychics.

artbaron

meritaten wrote: »

actually artbaron its YOU who dont know anything of the sort!
mediumship isnt confined to the 'doris stokes' variety of sitting on stage and passing messages!
I KNOW a very talented young lady who is more reliable than any early pregnancy test, she has told at least 14 or 15 women they are pregnant - most of whom didnt even know it. she can do it with animals too, she has never been wrong, either about the pregnancy or the sex of the baby - oh and she isnt out to make money, she is only five years old!!
she also 'sees' dead people - but doesnt pass on messages - she just tells you to ask them yourself as she assumes you see them too!
so please dont tell me I dont know anything - I have the living proof in front of me almost every day.
she isnt the only one either - her twin has the same gift. so does their aunt in a more limited way.

I'm not going to debate you, beyond this post, because you've made up your mind. You see something that seems inexplicable, state immediately that it's paranormal and then refuse to listen to reason when someone points out that there are other explanations. You want to believe and therefore you do. Your choice, but I'm happy using reason, logic and research rather than assuming the entire foundation of science is wrong based on the fantasies of a 5-year old.

As for your young friend's parents, tell them she can become an instant millionaire from two hours work. Tell her to take up the JREF challenge, it's what it's been set up for. It's one thing not being out to make money, it's another to refuse £millions for no reason whatsoever. If that money makes the family uncomfortable then they can donate it to charity.

But I guess they have other priorities...

bosseyed

I'm entirely with artbaron on this one.

To me, anything psychic/medium or paranormal is down to people filling in the inexplicable with exciting solutions rather than the mundane, or people desperate to believe in something 'beyond' the obvious existence, presumably for some comfort that this isn't all there is to life and that really, this is only the dress rehearsal and one day they'll be reunited with their loved ones in a sunshine land of flowers and joy.

And maybe thats fine, if it sustains people through hard times, but I can't believe it myself and these hilarious TV Psychics I see just make me angry and sad at the same time.

I find the whole 'most haunted' phenomenon interesting, the whole ghost hunting idea. Its entertaining telly for the most part, but its so transparently fake its funny. Creaky noises in old houses? Must be ghosts! Cold spots in ancient castles? Brrrr, Ghosts!

And wheres all the modern ghosts eh? They're always monks or 17th century inn keepers. Wheres the millions of people who die every day, do some of them not haunt?

I've been to one of the Most Haunted locations - the old Ram Inn in wooton under edge, and it was horrendously creepy, so its easy to see how mass hysteria plays a part in these programmes and experiences and how easy it is to believe in things bumping in the night, when clearly its pigeons in the roof space and things of that ilk.

jimbms

Oh come on get real, if the dead could contact you and give you the identity of a winning horse or the numbers of the next lottery would you sell this knowledge to others for £10? like hell you would you would do it yourself. If they told you they had left £200,000 in banknotes burried in a field for some living friend whould you then go and offer to help this person for a nominal fee? no chancge you would go get it yourself. These people are con artists who feed on gullability and the hope and misery of people who have had recent deaths in the family. I also ask how come these psychics are in contact with ancient wisemen from all over the world and yet they all speak English. Two psychic healers meet in the street - "You're fine - how am I?"